The next day we were exceedingly sore and tired, not only indisposed to move, but quite unable so to do. Mr. Fisher, however, having come with several dog teams, accompanied by the natives, in order to carry us to his settlement, persuaded us to go with him, assuring us that he found first rate fare. We accordingly went with him.
This place was called Calushelia, a small settlement upon the seaboard west by north from East River. We remained about twenty days in this settlement, in company with Mr. Fisher and his party. We were now, so far as we could judge, about seventy miles south-east of the place where our ship was wrecked.
Since communication was now fairly open between this settlement and the place where we spent the first part of the winter, and since it was known that intermediate huts were scattered along in this direction, our men began to arrive in small companies of four or five, as they could thus be better accommodated by the way than in larger numbers.
A few weeks only had passed away before there was a very perceptible improvement in the general health of all of us. At this time, two thirds of our entire company had arrived. We thought it advisable, as soon as expedient, to form another party, and proceed still farther towards the south in the direction of East Cape.
Accordingly, the captain, with Fisher, Osborn, Blackadore, Norton, and three others, crossed the river on the ice; the river was just south of us. On both sides of the mouth of this river there were native huts. Where the river discharges its waters into the sea or ocean, it is quite wide, having the appearance of a capacious bay. The river flows towards the north.
At this time, which was in March, we could discover no signs of water either in the river or in the ocean. Both were strongly bound in chains of almost perennial ice.
Having passed over this river, we found a temporary shelter and cordial reception in another settlement. Here we remained a number of days, in consequence of a heavy fall of snow and a severe gale of wind.
It being now towards the middle of March, we could plainly perceive a change in the atmosphere. It is true, we were farther south, which made some difference in the temperature; but the air had lost much of that sharp and piercing sensation which we felt in the winter, and which is experienced, we believe, only in this part of the earth's surface.
Much to our surprise and pleasure, during our abode in this settlement, we were served with ham—a new article of food indeed to us, though we had not a great deal of it, still a most agreeable exchange, if only for one meal, in the place of whale and walrus blubber.
We ascertained that these hams were taken from the wreck of the ship Bramin, of New Bedford, by the natives. This ship, as we afterwards learned, came into collision with another ship off the mouth of East River, during the same gale in which the Citizen was lost. It appeared she was abandoned by her officers and crew, who effected their escape on board of the accompanying ship.